Combined Container and Building Block

ABSTRACT

A container that may be used as a toy building block once it has served its purpose as a container for goods comprising: at least one male connector extending from one side of the container, a recess arranged to fittingly engage the male connector formed in a second side wall of the container, a neck upwardly extending from a top wall of the container, and a recess arranged to fittingly receive the neck formed in a bottom wall of the container.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) of Provisional Application Serial No. 61/777,794, filed Mar. 12, 2013.

FIELD

This disclosure relates to the field of containers, and more particularly to containers that are designed to be used as toy building blocks once they have served their purpose as containers for goods.

BACKGROUND

Containers for goods are often sold in single-use molded plastic containers that are generally discarded after use. The discarding of these materials represents an economic loss of materials and resources. Even when these materials are recycled instead of being sent to a landfill, there is an economic cost associated with the recycling process. There is an interest in reducing the amount of resources used and in reusing items, but this is often not feasible. One way to promote the reuse of containers has been to design containers that can be used as building blocks, while they contain goods and/or once their purpose as a container has been served.

Various containers adapted for stacking or interlockable connection are known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,631,747 describes a combined container and toy building block that can stack vertically through the lid of one container being received in the base of another container. U.S. Pat. No. 3,391,824 describes a stacking container that can stack vertically through the lid(s) of one or more containers being received by corresponding recesses in the base of one or more other container(s). U.S. Pat. No. 4,624,383 describes interlocking containers that slidingly engage along their side walls and stack vertically through the lid of one container being received by a corresponding recess in the base of another container. U.S. Pat. No. 6,506,091 describes a container that has male connectors formed along on side and a second container comprising corresponding female receptacles formed along one side, wherein the containers can be joined or stacked through engagement between the male connectors and the female receptacles. The male connectors are threadably engaged with the side of the container such that they can be unscrewed to allow dispensing of the container's contents. U.S. Pat. No. 7,175,498 describes a container that has male connectors formed on one side and corresponding female connectors formed on another side, as well as a capped spout formed on top of the container and a corresponding spout receptacle formed on the bottom of the container, thereby allowing containers to be joined side-to-side and stacked vertically. US 2006/0261063 describes an interlocking container with slidably engagable sides, a capped spout on the top of the container, and a corresponding recess on the bottom of the container that allows containers to be joined side-to-side and vertically stacked. U.S. Pat. No. D369,100 describes a combined container and building block that has a male connector on one side and a corresponding recess on another side. U.S. Pat. No. D586,225 describes an interlockable bottle that slidingly engages along its sides, allowing adjacent bottles to be joined side-to-side.

While these containers are useful for the particular problems they address, it remains desirable to provide a container which, after its initial use as a container, can be used as a safe and economical toy building block.

SUMMARY

Provided is a container that can be used as a building block once it has served its purpose as a container for goods. The container is particularly suited for use as a toy building block. The container may comprise a hollow body portion formed of side walls, a top wall, and a bottom wall; with a male connector outwardly extending from a first side wall and a recess, arranged to fittingly engage the male connector of a like container, extending into a second side wall, allowing adjacent containers to be releasably joined together. The container may also comprise a neck extending from the top wall and a second recess formed in the bottom wall, said second recess arranged to receive the neck of a like container, thereby allowing like containers to be stacked.

One embodiment is a container comprising a hollow body portion formed of a plurality of side walls, a bottom wall, and a top wall; a male connector outwardly extending from a first side wall; a first recess formed in a second side wall, said first recess arranged to fittingly engage the male connector of a first like container; a neck upwardly extending from the top wall; and a second recess extending into the bottom wall, said second recess arranged to fittingly receive the neck of a second like container.

In an embodiment, the neck is arranged to engage a cap and when the neck is engaged with said cap, the combined size and/or shape of the neck and the cap prevents the neck of the second like container from being received by the second recess, such that the neck of the second like container may only be received by the second recess when it is uncapped.

In a further embodiment, the first recess is arranged to engage the male connector of the first like container by snapping together of said containers.

In an embodiment the container comprises four side walls, wherein the male connector and the first recess are formed in opposing side walls.

In a further embodiment, the neck extends upward centrally from the top wall.

In an embodiment, the container is a substantially square shape along the horizontal plane.

In an embodiment the neck is a threaded neck.

In a further embodiment, a container of the disclosure is in combination with a cap arranged to engage the neck of the container.

In an additional embodiment, a product is contained within the hollow body portion of the container. In a further embodiment, the product is a liquid product. In yet another embodiment, the product is a bath product. In an embodiment, the product is a bath product selected from shampoo, conditioner, body wash, shower gel, foam bath, bubble bath, or liquid soap.

Another embodiment is a container comprising a hollow body portion formed of a plurality of side walls, a bottom wall, and a top wall; a male connector outwardly extending from a first side wall; a first recess formed in a second side wall, said first recess arranged to fittingly engage the male connector of a first like container in a snap-fit manner effecting a locking together of said containers into a cohesive assembly; and an opening extending into a hollow interior of the hollow body portion for introduction or removal of contents to and from the container through the opening.

A further embodiment is a container comprising a hollow body portion formed of a plurality of side walls, a bottom wall, and a top wall; a neck upwardly extending from the top wall around a passage into a hollow interior of the body portion for pouring of contents from the container through the neck; a cap engagable to and removable from the neck for selective closing and opening of the passage to the hollow interior of the body; and a recess extending into the bottom wall, said second recess arranged to fittingly receive the neck of a like container only when the neck of the like container is uncapped.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts an isometric view of a container of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 depicts a rear perspective view of the container of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 depicts a front side view of the container of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 depicts a perspective view of three containers of FIG. 1 arranged together as building blocks.

FIG. 5 depicts a front sectional view of the container of FIG. 1 sectioned in the plane and direction indicated by section lines 1-1 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 depicts a left side elevation view of the container of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 depicts a right side elevation view of the container of FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 depicts a top plan view of the container of FIG. 1.

FIG. 9 depicts a bottom plan view of the container of FIG. 1.

FIG. 10 depicts a right elevation view of the container of FIG. 1 in combination with a cap.

DESCRIPTION

Throughout the following description specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding to persons skilled in the art. However, well known elements may not have been shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the disclosure. Accordingly, the description and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative, rather than a restrictive, sense. Further, where considered appropriate, reference numerals may be repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements.

The present disclosure provides generally a container that can be used as a building block once it has served its purpose as a container for goods. In particular the disclosure provides a container that can engage other containers through fitting engagement between a male connector and corresponding recess on side walls of adjacent containers and/or through a neck upwardly extending from the top face of one container being received in a corresponding recess in the bottom of another container. In this manner, containers of the disclosure can be joined together as building blocks to form various three dimensional structures. In particular, the container of the disclosure is suitable for use as a toy building block once it has served its purpose as a container for goods.

Having a container become a useful toy after it has served its purpose as a container for goods may reduce the amount of material entering landfills. It may also add value or appeal to the goods being sold in the container, since the container itself has a secondary use. It may also promote additional purchases of the goods to amass a collection of containers. Finally, this type of container may provide a simple, economical, safe, and engaging child's toy.

An embodiment of a container of the disclosure is illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 10. The container 110 comprises a front side wall 116, a right side wall 112, a male connector 120 outwardly extending from right side wall 112, a rear side wall 214, a left side wall 210, a side recess 212 formed in left side wall 210, a top wall 114, a neck 118 upwardly protruding from top wall 114, a bottom wall 910, and a bottom recess 510 extending into bottom wall 910. Neck 118 may be engaged with a cap 1010, enabling the container to securely contain goods.

The cap may be an internally threaded screw-on cap for engagement with mating external threads on the neck, or the cap may be another style of cap, for example a cap for engaging the neck in a snap-fit manner. In an embodiment, the engagement mechanism of the cap is of a known child resistant ‘safety’ type mechanism to prevent cap removal by young children without adult or supervisory assistance.

Bottom recess 510 is designed to receive neck 118 of another container of identical structure, allowing containers to be stacked on top of one another such that top wall 114 and bottom wall 910 of the stacked containers are in physical contact, as shown by stacked containers 110 b and 110 c in FIG. 4. Further, male connector 120 and side recess 212 are arranged to fittingly engage, allowing adjacent containers to be joined together as shown by containers 110 a and 110 b in FIG. 4. In this manner, containers may be joined together, side-to-side and/or top-to-bottom, to form structures comprising a plurality of containers of the disclosure. In an embodiment, male connector 120 and side recess 212 may engage by snapping together by moving the male connector into the side recess by relative movement of the containers toward one another in a horizontal direction bringing the sides of the containers together in a face-to-face manner.

Having the containers physically couple or join together under engagement of the male connector 120 and side recess 212 provides an advantage over prior art building block containers where a loose-fit between adjacent containers maintains them in aligned positions, but does not actively couple the containers together into an assembled unit, whereby the assembled together containers can be moved as a single cohesive unit. Where a snap fit is used, the engaged snap fit also prevents relative movement between the containers in all directions, unlike axial slide-fit connections in the prior art that prevent horizontal withdrawal of the containers from one another, but allow vertical movement between the containers along the slide axis. The strength of the snap fit between two joined containers is preferably strong enough to carry the weight of one container on the other without disengaging, but weak enough to be separable by young children who will be employing the building-block functionality of the containers.

In an embodiment, neck 118, cap 1010, and bottom recess 510 are relatively sized such that neck 118 can only be received by bottom recess 510 when neck 118 is uncapped. This is intended to provide an element of safety, since the use of capped containers as building blocks may present a choking hazard to young children or pets. In particular, cap 1010 could be removed from container 110 during play, making it available to be chewed or swallowed by a young child or pet. If neck 118 can only be received by bottom recess 510 when neck 118 is uncapped, there is incentive for the cap to be removed and discarded before the container is used as a building block, thereby reducing the possibility of a child or pet having access to cap 1010.

In the illustrated embodiment, container 110 is roughly cuboid in shape. However, other hollow shapes may be employed. For example, the shape of container 110 may be, but is not limited to, rectangular, hexagonal, quadrilateral, triangular, or pentagonal. In an embodiment, the container is of a shape that has substantially planar faces.

Further, in the illustrated embodiment, container 110 comprises a single male connector 120 and a single side recess 212 situated on opposing side walls. In other embodiments, the container may comprise a plurality of male connectors 120 and/or a plurality of side recesses 212, so long as the male connectors 120 and the side recesses 212 are positioned such that adjacent containers can be joined through engagement between one or more male connectors 120 with one or more side recesses 212. For example, the container may comprise a male connector 120 on each of one or more side walls, said side walls being adjacent, spaced apart, or opposing. Similarly, the container may comprise a side recess 212 on each of one or more side walls, said side walls being adjacent, spaced apart, or opposing. In an embodiment, the number of male connectors 120 is equal to the number of side recesses 212. In another embodiment, at least one side wall may comprise a plurality of male connectors 120 while at least one other side wall may comprise a plurality of side recesses 212. In this embodiment, the position and number of male connectors and side recesses should be arranged to allow at least one male connector 120 to engage at least one side recess 212, thereby bringing the associated side walls into contact, or at least into close face-to-face proximity, with one other.

The container of the disclosure may be made of any material that is suitable to hold goods and to be used as a toy building block. Fragile materials, such as glass, and toxic materials should be avoided since they may pose a hazard when used as a toy. When the container is intended to contain a liquid, the container should be made of an impermeable material. Preferred materials are durable materials that can withstand shipping and repeated use as a toy block; as will readily be apparent to one skilled in the art. In an embodiment, the container is made of plastic, for example using plastic molding techniques.

The container of the disclosure may be used to contain a variety of goods, including liquid or solid goods. In an embodiment, the contained good is a flowable good such as a liquid, granular mixture, or powder. In another embodiment, the good is a bath product; such as a bath salt, shampoo, conditioner, liquid soap, bubble bath, shower gel, body wash, bubble bath, or foam bath. The good may also be a comestible product, such as a beverage. In an embodiment, the good may be a good intended for use by or for children.

Numerous specific details are set forth herein in order to provide a thorough understanding of the exemplary embodiments described herein. However, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that these embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures and components have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the description of the embodiments.

Further, while the above description provides examples of the embodiments, it will be appreciated that some features and/or functions of the described embodiments are susceptible to modification without departing from the spirit and principles of operation of the described embodiments. Accordingly, what has been described above has been intended to be illustrative of the invention and non-limiting. It will be understood by persons skilled in the art that other variants and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A container comprising: a hollow body portion formed of a plurality of side walls, a bottom wall, and a top wall; a male connector outwardly extending from a first side wall; a first recess formed in a second side wall, said first recess arranged to fittingly engage the male connector of a first like container; a neck upwardly extending from the top wall; and a second recess extending into the bottom wall, said second recess arranged to fittingly receive the neck of a second like container.
 2. The container of claim 1, wherein the neck is arranged to engage a cap and when the neck is engaged with said cap, the combined size and/or shape of the neck and the cap prevents the neck of the second like container from being received by the second recess, such that the neck of the second like container may only be received by the second recess when it is uncapped.
 3. The container of claim 1, wherein the first recess is arranged to engage the male connector of the first like container by snapping together of said containers.
 4. The container of claim 1, comprising four side walls wherein the male connector and the first recess are formed in opposing side walls.
 5. The container of claim 1, wherein the neck extends upward centrally from the top wall.
 6. The container of claim 1, wherein the container is a substantially square shape along the horizontal plane.
 7. The container of claim 1, wherein the neck is a threaded neck.
 8. The container of claim 1, in combination with a cap arranged to engage the neck of the container.
 9. The combination of claim 8, further comprising a product contained within the hollow body portion of the container.
 10. The combination of claim 9, wherein the product is a liquid product.
 11. The combination of claim 9, wherein the product is a bath product.
 12. The combination of claim 11, wherein the bath product is selected from shampoo, conditioner, body wash, shower gel, foam bath, bubble bath, or liquid soap.
 13. A container comprising: a hollow body portion formed of a plurality of side walls, a bottom wall, and a top wall; a male connector outwardly extending from a first side wall; a first recess formed in a second side wall, said first recess arranged to fittingly engage the male connector of a first like container in a snap-fit manner effecting a locking together of said containers into a cohesive assembly; and an opening extending into a hollow interior of the hollow body portion for introduction or removal of contents to and from the container through the opening.
 14. A container comprising: a hollow body portion formed of a plurality of side walls, a bottom wall, and a top wall; a neck upwardly extending from the top wall around a passage into a hollow interior of the body portion for pouring of contents from the container through the neck; a cap engagable to and removable from the neck for selective closing and opening of the passage to the hollow interior of the body; and a recess extending into the bottom wall, said second recess arranged to fittingly receive the neck of a like container only when the neck of the like container is uncapped. 